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Chapter 27: Go Out And Kneel

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Mu Chen consumed three medicinal pills and suppressed the fire poison’s burning heat with a lot of difficulty. He knew that he was unable to suppress it any longer. He had to enter seclusion right away. 

Mu Chen thought about his disciple. It looked as if he would need to seclude himself for a year. During that year, how would he ensure that Gu Yunjue wasn’t led astray by others? During these ten years of their past, Gu Yunjue would instinctively cause trouble once Mu Chen turned his back. This psychologically affected him and he felt doubts about this topic. 

As for Gu Yunjue, it felt as if he was stabbed by Zheng Xuansu’s words. A murderous intent arose from him. Mu Chen’s body was indeed weak, but Jing Ming and the others weren’t aware of this. Zheng Xuansu seemed as if he knew too much. “Martial Uncle must really be concerned about my Master, but where did you hear this nonsense from?” Gu Yunjue still retained his gentle attitude with the deep ink-colored eyes of his handsome face gazing at Zheng Xuansu. Even though his tone was gentle, his words were rude. Zheng Xuansu internally felt like shivering. His soul didn’t feel any coldness, but his body released some cold sweat. He felt like sinking to his knees and paying respects to the other. Through intense pressure, he clenched his teeth and quickly replied, “I didn’t hear this from anywhere. I just noticed that his complexion was looking pallid so I was just concerned. That’s all.”

Gu Yunjue let out a feeble laugh. He nodded and intensely replied, “Thank you for Martial Uncle’s concerns about my Master. I’ll inform my master about this word for word.” 

Zheng Xuansu let out a forced laugh and didn’t reply back. Gu Yunjue noticed that the other’s eyes were avoiding his. Gu Yunjue’s eyes held the notion that this person was a problem. 

 ————

Mu Chen got up from his bed and walked out the door. He noticed Gu Yunjue quickly flying towards him in a hurried manner. Mu Chen extended his arms out of habit and allowed the other to hug his waist till he was satisfied. As he helplessly stroked the other’s head, Mu Chen’s expression turned serious and he said, “You’re almost my height yet you still act spoiled. You should exercise some restraint.” 

Gu Yunjue grasped Mu Chen’s hands and analyzed the fluctuations of his internal spirit. Wordlessly, he hid the slight expression of dread from his eyes. He smiled as he replied, “This disciple will remember to do so.” 

Mu Chen felt powerless. He had repeated himself many times, but his disciple didn’t change at all. 

“Did anyone cause you any trouble at the main hall?” Mu Chen sat himself down and extended his hand out of habit. 

Gu Yunjue grasped the pale hand that resembled jade. He fished out a handkerchief to tenderly clean each of the long delicate fingers. His eyes revealed the enjoyment he felt. With hesitation, he said, “There wasn’t anyone that caused me any trouble. There were some Senior Brothers there as well. However, there was someone… that wanted to introduce their daughter to me.”

Mu Chen’s expression became icy. “Who?” That person must be blind. His disciple was still too young yet he still tried to introduce his daughter to him. This was simply courting death! 

Gu Yunjue expressionlessly replied, “It was Martial Uncle Zheng.” 

“Humph!” Mu Chen snorted with cold eyes. “He’s only an outer sect disciple that your Grandmaster brought back to do some odd jobs. How is he even a Martial Uncle?” The man who was next to Yue Mingze who whispered in his ear appeared to have been him. Mu Chen felt rather discontented by this. Why did other people have to be involved in his affairs? He felt really annoyed when others acted like upstanding gentlemans. They acted as if they cared about other people’s issues, but in reality, they harbored vile and despicable thoughts. 

Mu Chen halted and looked at Gu Yunjue. He warned, “As time passes, beauty will also disappear. It will turn into nothing but bones so there’s no reason to cling to female charms. Young children shouldn’t think of filthy thoughts.” 

Gu Yunjue smiled and listened to every word. After he finished cleaning Mu Chen’s fingers, he picked up a teacup and felt it. He waited till it’s temperature felt appropriate before he handed it to the other. He coaxed, “Whatever Master said is correct. This disciple will remember this. How is your health? Do you feel unwell anywhere?” 

Mu Chen sipped his tea. He felt his bad temper easing. With an indifferent tone, he said, “It’s no big deal. If I’m unable to suppress it, then I will fight against it. In any case, I won’t die from it.” During his previous life, he went through five different events before he was able to resolve it. Although he wouldn’t die, it was really hard for him to endure. 

When Gu Yunjue heard what Mu Chen had said, he furrowed his brows. He gave him a look of discontentment. “Master!”

Mu Chen paused for a bit and feeling that he had no choice, he tried to change the subject. “If Master wants to seclude himself for a while, then you should obediently wait for me and not wander around.” Mu Chen changed the subject to stop Gu Yunjue from talking, “I had you make some pills. Did you finish them?” 

Gu Yunjue replied, “…. No.” 

“Stupid! Go complete it right this instant! I will check what you’ve done tonight!” Mu Chen glanced at Gu Yunjue. His small disciple was just average when it came to concocting pills. When it came to learning extravagant and fatal sword moves, his disciple only took one glance but understood them completely. He would then use these skills to split the heavens open with this boundless power. However, it was impossible for him to use his spirit strength to classify the ingredients for different medicinal pills. He was practically dumber than a pig since he could only refine basic medical pills at this point. 

Gu Yunjue always got a headache whenever he thought of the assignment Mu Chen wanted him to complete. In both of his lifetimes, only his little Master would call him names such as fool, moron, idiot, or dummy when he was angry. Considering how limited Mu Chen’s vocabulary was, he had to be really mad to even use these words in the first place. 

Since some medicinal pills had lost their potency due to damage, Mu Chen requested that he use his spiritual power to string together a bottle of pills to prevent its medical potential from decreasing. Gu Yunjue didn’t want to use a needle to pierce medical pills. He was a grown man and doing this task would make him feel like a female servant. 

Of course, if his little Master was doing it, Gu Yunjue would naturally feel as if he looked like the perfect wife. 

Mu Chen reached his hand out and gave his dazed disciple a thump. “Did you hear anything your Master just said?” 

“I heard you!” Gu Yunjue grasped Mu Chen’s hand and proposed to him happily, “It would be nice if Master could train this disciple all the way through the steps.” 

Mu Chen finished his tea and gave Gu Yunjue a cold look. How could his disciple be this stupid? The Gu Yunjue in his past lifetime was smarter than the one in this lifetime. Was it possible that he spoiled Gu Yunjue in this lifetime too much that he was slowly becoming a wastrel? Could those great talents be raised to become useless? 

Gu Yunjue gave him a shy look and didn’t miss any expressions that Mu Chen made. His little Master who was normally indifferent to others would only show any expressions around those close to him. His master showed more unique expressions around him when compared to others. The expression in his eyes at this moment was really beautiful. 

Mu Chen saw that his disciple wasn’t learning how to complete his task but was giving him a dim-witted expression while foolishly laughing. He became more spiteful and swatted the back of Gu Yunjue’s head. “Look over here!” 

While speaking, he arranged ten foundation establishment pills on the desk. He used a slender bamboo stick and effortlessly finished pricking the pills before stringing them together. After he finished, he looked at Gu Yunjue wondering if he learned anything. 

Gu Yunjue lifted an eyebrow, “Master, aren’t you supposed to use embroidery needles?” 

Mu Chen responded with an indifferent tone, “Those look too feminine.” 

“Then disciple….”

“Children shouldn’t whine this much!” Mu Chen said in a harsh tone. 

Gu Yunjue let out a helpless laugh. His little Master was too silly. He got mad whenever he didn’t hold the upper hand in conversation. This behavior was adorable and bewitching to others. 

It was the afternoon and Gu Yunjue looked displeased as he held an embroidery needle to pierce each pill. Mu Chen’s chin was propped up on his hand as he sat lazily nearby. This made it impossible for Gu Yunjue to focus. His body wasn’t ordinary so he was able to avoid piercing his fingers with the needle. 

Mu Chen downed two cups of tea before he concluded that he would not be able to continue watching. Thus, he planned to return back to continue meditation. He was too stupid! How was he this stupid? 

Gu Yunjue inspected Mu Chen’s back. The corners of his mouth lifted upwards. He isolated a thread of his spiritual strength. His spiritual power was strong as he created the name, Qing Xing. Qing Xing was Mu Chen’s courtesy name. The name wasn’t a secret. It’s meaning was secretive on the outside and similar to snow. The characters looked vulgar and with Mu Chen’s complicated history, not many people knew about this name. Gu Yunjue had some fondness for this name and enjoyed saying it to himself. He wanted to whisper it to Mu Chen like they were a close-knit loving couple. He was addicted to this fantasy. 

Gu Yunjue slightly flicked his index finger and the embroidery needle flew to string ten medical pills together. The potency of these pills didn’t scatter at all. With a wave of his hand, Gu Yunjue took back the spiritual power. He ruminated to himself that if he acted a little weak, his Master would be more worried about him. 

It was right at this moment that Gu Yunjue felt a scorching heat from inside. Gu Yunjue’ s naturally relaxed expression changed. Gu Yunjue already appeared as a retreating figure from his previous spot as he entered the room. 

Mu Chen’s skin looked pallid. The man endured the torment from the fire poison and the color left his skin. Pain filled him and sweat coated his hairline. His clothes stuck to his body as well. His entire body felt battered and exhausted and his soul was burned by the raging flames. He endured all this in his past lifetime and this was the cause of his death. Even in this lifetime, he felt immense pain that he was unable to control. His already frail body became stiff and trembled occasionally. He managed to control some of the trembles subconsciously. Mu Chen bit down on his lip to prevent any moans of pain from coming out. He was like a sturdy stalk of bamboo in the strong wind, deciding that he’d rather die than give in. 

The more this man acted this way, the more others would feel pity for him. 

Gu Yunjue rushed to him and gave him a hug from behind. He didn’t ask for permission before he allowed his spirit soul to enter Mu Chen’s spiritual terrace. Once he entered, he saw a miniature version of Mu Chen trapped in rings of black flames. The two forces were at war with each other. Gu Yunjue didn’t think before he used his spiritual soul to wrap itself around Mu Chen’s spiritual soul. He thus protected Mu Chen from underneath him. 

The feeling of that flame caused him to shudder in pain. It was like being roasted. It was so painful that it rendered one speechless. Gu Yunjue could feel pain in his heart when he thought of how Mu Chen endured all this. 

He couldn’t understand how his Master endured all this in their previous lifetime to the point where the black flames caused his death. He just cared about becoming stronger. He wanted to become an alchemist that others couldn’t criticize. How determined was this pure and aloof person? 

Mu Chen felt his sensitive and fragile spiritual soul being embraced by someone. He already knew who it was. He was only defenseless in front of the little disciple that he had raised. 

Mu Chen felt a bout of coolness in his spiritual soul. Mu Chen opened his eyes and used the palm of his hand to slap Gu Yunjue. He felt the urge to kill the other. “Do you want to die? Get out of here!” He raised his disciple up to this point with many difficulties. However, this scoundrel didn’t value his life. He quickly healed the damages that the other sustained. If he hadn’t been careful, then his disciple’s soul would have dissipated and scattered. Then he would have raised his disciple for nothing! He didn’t expect that the more he suppressed the flames, the more ferociously the flame would flare up. He was confident that he could control the flame for three days. Mu Chen felt regret that he was unable to predict this event. He didn’t want to show any weakness to his disciple. He didn’t want to frighten him. 

“Don’t move!” Gu Yunjue carefully kneaded Mu Chen’s hands. He held him tightly in his embrace so that he was completely restrained. His spiritual soul continued to wrap around Mu Chen’s spiritual soul which helped Mu Chen resist the strong flames. 

Mu Chen felt anxious but he was unable to argue with his intelligent disciple. He knew that Gu Yunjue wouldn’t be able to continue helping him so he used all his spiritual force to suppress the fire poison. The two of them cultivated using the same method and Gu Yunjue had a stronger spiritual soul so the two managed to defeat the flames. 

Jing Ming and Jing Ting returned to find that a boundary was set up by Mu Chen. They assumed Mu Chen was meditating so they didn’t dare to bother him. Thus, the Master and disciple pair remained there for three days and nights. Gu Yunjue opened his eyes only after the black flames were suppressed and closed off. 

“Master? Master?” Gu Yunjue gently called out repeatedly. Mu Chen was exhausted so he was partially asleep. His face still looked pallid but his eyes held some anger. “You evil disciple!” 

Gu Yunjue thought to himself that it was over if his Master was still able to lecture him. Thus, he relaxed his attitude and hugged Mu Chen. He comforted the other, “It’s alright now. It’s all over.” 

“Let go!” His disciple actually dared to comfort him like he was a child. He actually dared not to obey him! He dared to wipe his sweat on his body! Doesn’t this mean that you’re taking advantage of your ancient Martial ancestor? If Mu Chen still had the strength to, he would have lifted his disobedient disciple and spanked his bottom! 

Gu Yunjue lifted an eyebrow. It appeared as if his master wanted to destroy the bridge after he crossed the river. He released Mu Chen from his embrace and kneaded his fingers in regret. Gu Yunjue then gave a suggestion, “Do you need this disciple’s help in washing up?”

Mu Chen unhappily snorted in response as he couldn’t think of a rebuttal. He didn’t want anyone to see him when he was miserable nor did he want someone else to wash him. If it had to be anyone, it was better to choose the small child that he himself raised. 

Gu Yunjue immediately had people prepare some water. He assisted Mu Chen in removing his robes and crown. After Mu Chen was unbound, Mu Chen let out an inaudible sigh. He didn’t expect that it would be easier for him to endure this time. His cultivation didn’t fail him. 

Mu Chen pondered over why this was so. He didn’t notice Gu Yunjue’s expression from behind. 

Gu Yunjue placed his fine and long fingers on Mu Chen’s shoulder. He had a small smile in his eyes and with a chagrin, he said, “Master, this disciple will continue.” 

When Mu Chen heard his tone of voice, an evil fire erupted in his chest. Mu Chen grasped Gu Yunjue’s wrist and thought about how this disciple wasn’t obedient. With a cold expression on his face, he said, “Go and kneel as punishment.” 

Gu Yunjue hands paused midair. He didn’t understand why Mu Chen’s expression suddenly changed. 

“Once you’ve understood what you’ve done wrong, then you can come back in.” His body already felt a little better. Mu Chen stood up and stuffed some Qi gathering pills from a bottle into his mouth like it was candy. He silently calculated what strength he had to use to directly Gu Yunjue out of here. 

“Master, this disciple doesn’t know what he did that was wrong.” He had a smile on his face that looked warm. It was as if he hoped that his jade-like temperament would somewhat soothe Mu Chen’s bad mood. 

Mu Chen’s expression turned even colder and he scowled. “Everything is wrong!” 

Gu Yunjue lifted an eyebrow. Then why isn’t everything not wrong? It appeared that his Master wasn’t in the mood to argue about this with him. He felt happy that his Master didn’t treat him like he was an outsider. However, was it possible that his Master didn’t see him as a man? Gu Yunjue narrowed his eyes. He lovingly grasped Mu Chen’s hand and swung it from side to side. “Then this disciple will protect Master so he feels at ease.” 

Mu Chen, “….” 

“Master treats this disciple well. This disciple couldn’t help but rush in to help at that time. If something happened to Master, how could this disciple bear living alone?” 

Mu Chen, “….” 

“There’s no doubt that this disciple likes master the most.” 

Mu Chen, “….” 

“This disciple is willing to sacrifice himself for love.” 

Mu Chen was stupefied by this. He had already recovered some strength so he lifted a leg to kick Gu Yunjue out before he closed the door. He also locked the door and said coldly, “Go kneel at the gate.” 

Jing Ming was carrying a huge bucket of water and was about to enter the building. He was suddenly almost slammed at the doors. He quickly dodged to the side and noticed a footprint on Gu Yunjue’s stomach. Jing Ming was happy when he noticed his misfortune. He went over and patted his shoulder. “Did you really anger Palace Master again? You can’t avoid it anymore. You’ve been punished this time through kneeling. Hahaha.” After he had cared for Gu Yunjue for many years like he was carrying a pot on his back, Jing Ming regained some guts and felt like he was an abandoned dog that found some treasure. He felt like flying. 

Gu Yunjue used his sleeve to muffle his laughs. His Master was really adorable. When he was unable to think of a retort, he became hostile to conceal his embarrassment. Once he reached that stage, he would kick people out. He even used kneeling as a punishment. Gu Yunjue laughed while kneading his forehead. He felt tired and had a weak spirit soul these past few days. However, his Master didn’t feel any concern for him. 

Jing Ming was scared and jumped in fright when he heard Gu Yunjue’s laugh. He mumbled silently to himself about how he was being a mental case for being happy about Gu Yunjue’s misfortune. He picked the large bucket up again and proceeded to knock on the door. He paused when he noticed Gu Yunjue kneading his forehead. Gu Yunjue looked up before he passed out. 

Jing Ming sucked in a breath of cold air. Before he could call Mu Chen, the closed doors opened with a bang. Mu Chen looked disheveled as he ran out to pick Gu Yunjue up. He then carried him inside. This little scoundrel dared to speak rubbish despite his spiritual power being depleted and having a weaker body than his own. He was being too reckless! 

Jing Ming noticed Mu Chen’s unpredictable mood and followed behind them without saying a word. 

Mu Chen took some medicinal pills out and lifted Gu Yunjue’s head to feed him some pills. His eyes revealed his concern. 

When his small disciple entered his spirit terrace, Mu Chen noticed that something was wrong. When this thought entered Mu Chen’s head, he used his spiritual power to inspect Gu Yunjue’s body. However, Gu Yunjue’s spirit terrace was protected by the soul bell. Thus, he was unable to enter. He then pushed his suspicions away. Mu Chen carried Gu Yunjue and threw him into a barrel of water. He rolled his sleeves up to wash his disciple clean. 

Jing Ming checked his surroundings and didn’t find anyone that could be of assistance. He asked, “Palace Master, can I come over?” 

Mu Chen had a cold expression on his face to express his refusal. He put Gu Yunjue in the water and swirled him around. He then fished him out and put him on the bed. Jing Ming felt happy seeing Gu Yunjue’s misfortune. For the past ten years, Gu Yunjue acted like Mu Chen’s personal servant and waited for him hand and foot. He would dress him and eat meals with him. He didn’t allow Mu Chen to lift a finger. He even took proper care of Yanyang Palace. Palace Master was so spoiled that he was unable to even take care of himself. Gu Yunjue… has reaped what he had sown. 

Mu Chen made Jing Ming go to the mountains in the back and fetch a bucket of spiritual spring water. He thought about that black lotus that sprouted in the pit of his stomach which had faded away by now. Mu Chen released a sigh. It was possible that as time passed on, the things that his disciple gave to him for protection would probably fade away to the point that there’d be no fond memory left of them. It was fortunate that the person in front of him was still alive. He was smart and obedient. It was unlikely that he’d follow the same path of destruction again. 

From five years old till now, Mu Chen watched Gu Yunjue’s plump face that resembled a steamed bun grow into that of a handsome youth with unique features. He stroked his disciple’s face lightly and let out a sorrowful sigh. In the end, he had finally grown up. After his disciple finally grows up, he should release his disciple out into the world to learn new skills, meet nice people, and finally leave him. Mu Chen felt sick thinking about this. He pinched Gu Yunjue’s face to express his discontent and sulked by himself. When it’s time to release his disciple into the world, he would secretly follow him. He would prevent any disgraceful girls from convincing his disciple to follow the devil’s path. He didn’t want to waste the careful work he went through in raising his disciple. 

Gu Yunjue opened his eyes and had a smile on his face as he glanced over at Mu Chen. His master had unexpectedly taken advantage of the fact that he was asleep to pinch his face. 

Mu Chen let go of his hand with an expressionless face. The tips of his ears had faint pink blush on them after being caught in the act. His face was still pale and expressionless. “Go to your room and take a proper rest. You can do your kneeling punishment when you feel better.” 

“Master.” Gu Yunjue finished listening to Mu Chen’s orders and he gave an earnest look to the other. “From this point on, don’t keep me in the dark if there’s something wrong. All right?” His dark eyes held some indescribable emotion that Mu Chen couldn’t figure out. However, he knew that Gu Yunjue was worried about him. Therefore, Mu Chen was unable to say the strict words he was thinking of. Mu Chen thus was silent. 

Gu Yunjue didn’t force Mu Chen to speak. He continued, “The medicinal ingredients that you brought all these years must have been to detoxify the poison. I know about this.” 

Mu Chen released a sigh and couldn’t help himself but to pat his disciple’s head. His disciple was too clever. He was unable to hide anything from him. 

Gu Yunjue tilted his head to the side and his lips were pressed to Mu Chen’s hand. He asked in all seriousness, “What herbs do you need? This disciple will look for them with you.” 

Mu Chen became silent. In the end, he didn’t feel like scolding the other’s filial piety towards him. “I’m missing Jade Zoysia Pungens, Five Colors Blossom, and Ice Soul Pearl. However, your Master still has some so you don’t have to worry.” 

“Master?”

“Hm?”

“Are you tired?”

“I’m not tired….” Mu Chen looked into Gu Yunjue’s eyes and his exhausted body had a sudden feeling of dizziness. His sight turned black. Gu Yunjue quickly caught him and held the man to his chest. He inspected Mu Chen’s haggard appearance. His heart felt pain as his fingers traveled along Mu Chen’s delicate features. Mu Chen’s pallid complexion and lips were hidden under his hair. Gu Yunjue lifted a strand of hair and placed a kiss on it. Gu Yunjue said with a quiet voice, “There won’t be a next time.”

It was at this moment that Black Egg whose appearance was the same sneakily stretched his head into the window. He still had soft black feathers, thick wings, a round body, and three golden feathers on his head. Black Egg trembled as he entered. Gu Yunjue already knew that he had come. He looked up and beckoned him with a finger. Black Egg slowly dragged himself into the room. He noticed Mu Chen deeply asleep in Gu Yunjue’s arms. He opened his red eyes wide with shock. Oh no, he committed a sin! 

Gu Yunjue lifted the corner of his mouth and requested Black Egg to come closer. 

Black Egg slowly shifted forward once again. He assumed that after eating Ji Qingyuan’s spiritual soul, he would be able to escape Gu Yunjue’s control. However, he didn’t expect that he would still have no power to retaliate against Gu Yunjue even at Nascent Soul Stage. Black Egg had already accepted his miserable fate. At least this type of Master would allow him to eat his full. In the past few years, Gu Yunjue had provided him with a lot of nourishment which gave him some comfort. 

“Will it be alright for me to use your spiritual soul?” Gu Yunjue opened his mouth to ask this. 

“Eh?!” Black Egg was so frightened that his golden feathers stood upright. It had the ability to refine its sinful soul to a pure spiritual soul. Gu Yunjue was meaning to pump out his soul by asking this. Black Egg was frightened by this so he turned his head away in hopes that he could run away. Whenever this person needed it, it was never a good sign. It wasn’t the first time his spirit soul was drawn out. The times before had been either to strengthen Mu Chen’s spiritual soul power or to suppress Mu Chen’s fire poison for three days so Mu Chen’s cultivation wouldn’t fail. 

Black Egg could only feel bitter about it as its spirit soul was refined. It left half for itself and gave the other half. Whenever he thought of it, it felt as if he was giving away a piece of his flesh which made him feel distress.. 

“Tch.” Gu Yunjue punched the other’s mouth in impatience. Black Egg was slapped through empty air before he landed on the table. Black Egg was unable to move at all. 

Gu Yunjue smiled and he reached through the air to grab Black Egg’s spiritual soul that was leaving his body. He felt relieved when he saw the pure white-colored misty sphere appear in his palm. He noticed Blsck Egg’s depressed form and he patted his head feathers to comfort him. “I’ll find someone to catch some evil souls to repair the damage in a while.” 

Black Egg was still lying at the same spot, unable to move. Even if he ate that, he would still have to spit it out. Crows also had black feathers like him so it didn’t make much difference.

Gu Yunjue used this spiritual force on the depths of Mu Chen’s spiritual terrace. The spiritual force was like a starved person in the dark suddenly getting nourishment. It suddenly became more vigorous. Mu Chen’s face started to have a rosy flush. Gu Yunjue looked at Mu Chen’s face and squinted his eyes. He made a resolution to heal Mu Chen’s body before the poison flared up again. 

He had no idea what two of the herbs used in Mu Chen’s medicine were. He did know of the five colors flower though. The flower thrived in the Devil realm. It wasn’t hard to find, but people didn’t approach that area due to the qi that corrodes ones character. Gu Yunjue looked at Mu Chen sleeping and suddenly recalled something. MunChen once rushed to the Devil Realm to search for a cure. It must have been for this five colors flower. 

After he called Guan Shan over, Gu Yunjue commanded, “Send some people to the Devil realm to get three stalks of five colors flower.”

Guan Shan frowned and asked out of worry, “Young Master, if we return to the Devil Realm, won’t we alert our enemies?” 

Gu Yunjue let out a small laugh and gave a fond look to Mu Chen’s face. His eyes showed that there wasn’t room for others outside this individual. He was scared of waking up the person in his arms so he spoke in a gentle but composed tone. “If someone were to stand in my way, then I wouldn’t mind killing my senior brothers or my father.” 

Guan Shan’s heart trembled but he bowed his head. He quickly disappeared below. He didn’t dare to look at Mu Chen his entire time there. 

 ————

After Mu Chen woke up, he felt an abundance of spiritual energy. His spiritual energy was working great. He was in an even better state than before even without the fire poison flare ups. He was shocked by his bodily changes. He felt that the weight of his bed felt wrong.

Gu Yunjue was sitting on the bed with his chin propped up on his hand. He watched him with a smile on his face. His face was handsome but had a childish feel about it. He was so handsome that it dazzled others. Mu Chen didn’t care about his disciple’s handsomeness but rather the incline of his bed and the fact that the dividing wall to Gu Yunjue’s room was no longer there. 

The arrangement of his room and Gu Yunjue’s room had many similarities. The first floor was used to entertain guests, the second floor was a bedroom, and the third floor was a study room. The second floor was now an open space while the two bedrooms were connected to each other. The beds were now right next to each other with a thin layer of woven cotton yarn between them.

Mu Chen was stunned and gave a blank look at the beds. What was going on? 

Gu Yunjue continued sitting on the bed. He separated his fingers. With an innocent expression, he said, “This disciple could only think of this method in order to care for Master.” 

“Is that the reason you removed the wall?” Mu Chen had a cold expression on his face. He was not satisfied with this explanation. He didn’t feel that he needed to be cared for by his disciple. Wasn’t it him that was caring for his disciple all these years? Otherwise, how would this person grow this big? He was big enough to remove the wall while he was asleep. This situation was simply ridiculous!

Gu Yunjue stood up and opened the curtains. He lifted his legs and walked over to Mu Chen’s bed. His face still had a smile on it but there was some worry also. “Master, if I was unaware about something that happened to you, how would I repent for my mistakes?”

Mu Chen knitted his brows together and wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his mistake. However, Gu Yunjue didn’t give him the opportunity to express his opinion as he sat at the bedside and embraced his waist. “If Master passes away, this disciple will lose the will to live. Does the Master have the heart to do this?” 

“You….” Mu Chen felt speechless as he looked at the young man. It was probably because he spoiled his disciple too much that the other was so attached to him. His disciple was sixteen and it was reaching time for his coming of age ceremony. However, he was still hugging him like a spoiled child…. Mu Chen rubbed the head near his waist and let out a helpless sigh. Could it be that his way of teaching this child was wrong and that led this child to become this way? If he really got into an accident, how would this child live?

‘Forget about it. I’ll be depending on you then.” Mu Chen felt powerless. He felt that it was the way he raised this child that led to this problem.

Mu Chen noticed Jing Ming carrying a small picture book as he passed by the window. Mu Chen suddenly had an idea and called Guan Shan over. 

That day, Guan Shan travelled down the mountains. Guan Shan visited a secular group and brought back books that had information about children. It wasn’t less than that of a pound. There were all sorts of books, more than one’s imagination. Mu Chen sat in the bamboo forest and read each book fervently. He wanted to make time to visit Liu Hanzhi who was raised by Chu Qianshuang to find out more. The other had a temperament but was still able to raise him into what he was today. How would he not be able to do it? 

The book pointed out that at sixteen years old, this was the transition period of a child becoming a man. This was a special stage in the growth and development of mortals. Mu Chen looked at Gu Yunjue who was tuning a qin on top of the bed. He furrowed his eyebrows. This really was a special period of time. This child had recently been interested in calligraphy like those scholars but now he was interested in playing the qin? 

The book stressed upon this period of time being special. This was due to both physiological and psychological changes. Also, the fact that contradictions and questions would arise. If the person couldn’t determine the right path, resolution, or right type of help, then the person’s development would be affected. This would influence the rest of their life.

Mu Chen felt slightly worried. This could affect his entire life. He didn’t know for sure but if he wasn’t careful, then his disciple would become warped once more. This wasn’t a good sign. 

Mu Chen felt more fear as he read more. There were fifteen or sixteen year old boys that had desires for the opposite sex. There was probably the longing for love and perhaps… sex? 

Was he learning literature and calligraphy in order to woo a girl?

Gu Yunjue could feel Mu Chen’s expression changing constantly as he observed him. The corners of his mouth lifted in a delighted smile. He moved over to Mu Chen’s side and asked out of curiosity, “Master, what are you looking at?”

Mu Chen’s expression turned cold. He closed the book and flatly said, “It’s nothing.” 

Gu Yunjue gave a small laugh. He pulled on the other’s sleeve. “Eh? Is Master hiding it?” 

Mu Chen frowned. His disciple was already all grown up and he still liked to be clingy with him. Who would dare to tug his sleeve other than his disciple? 

“If Master won’t answer, then this disciple won’t ask anymore.” Gu Yunjue was at Mu Chen’s side and used his hands to tidy his hair. He proposed, “Master, do you want to go on a stroll with this disciple?” 

Mu Chen’s face still had an aloof expression showing no interest in going out for a stroll. 

Gu Yunjue continued, “I heard that at the Qiyang Sect Auction, they’re selling a nine-tailed fox. It’s fur is snow-white and I heard it’s clever and quick-witted. How about we go take a look at it?” 

Mu Chen lifted his eyebrows to show that he had some slight interest. 

Gu Yunjue forced down his smile and tugged Mu Chen’s hand. He coaxed, “This disciple wants it. Will Master buy it for me?” 

Mu Chen stood up and fixed his clothes. He then led the way out with quick steps. 

Gu Yunjue lifted the corners of his mouth. He shook his head as he watched Mu Chen’s retreating figure. He was about to catch up with him when he saw a summoning talisman appear in front of Mu Chen. After it ignited to flames, words filled the sky. It read, ‘Quickly come to Sinking Immortal Tavern. End of message.’ 

Gu Yunjue watched Mu Chen’s originally cold expression reveal a happy one. He concealed the coldness from his own eyes. He quickly bounded over two steps and tugged on Mu Chen’s hand. He seized this opportunity to embrace Mu Chen by his waist. He asked happily, “Master, who are you going to meet?” 

Mu Chen grabbed at his hands and didn’t pull it off surprisingly. He gave Gu Yunjue a look of surprise. When this boy was little, he would hug his legs. Now that he had grown up, he now hugged his waist. He didn’t know how this boy would turn up in the future. His disciple was good at being a spoiled child. The type who was clingy and couldn’t be removed. 

Gu Yunjue rested his head on Mu Chen’s back by Mu Chen’s shoulders. He let out a gentle laugh. His warm breath brushed Mu Chen’s sensitive neck. Mu Chen tilted his head away slightly. He pushed his disciple’s head away and reprimanded him with a cold expression, “Don’t cause any trouble.”

Gu Yunjue didn’t stop but continued following as he pulled on Mu Chen’s hand. Even though he was shaken off a few times, he didn’t care. Mu Chen felt helpless. Although he knew his disciple’s spoiled behavior was not good, he couldn’t help but be gentle to him and let him continue behaving as is. 

Mu Chen didn’t have any experience in raising a child. Therefore, he had raised a good child into a clingy one. As Mu Chen thought about this, he heaved a sigh. Where did he go wrong? 

At Qiyang City At The Bottom Of Lofty Cloudy Sect In Sinking Immortal Tavern

It was at noon when Sinking Immortal Tavern was filled with guests. Many traveling cultivators would stay here. They would eat and drink while asking for information no matter if it was real or fake. In the end, it was just rumors that people like to talk about at their leisure. 

A man dressed in black was chatting with his companion. “I heard that the one managing Gazing Chen was a beautiful young lady. She’s so beautiful that she can even cause the downfall of a city. Very few people have seen her. She’s very mysterious.”

“If women aren’t supported by someone powerful, I’m afraid they won’t be able to reach the accomplished stage they are now. All businesses would reach three points as they fluctuate between good moments and bad moments. If no one backed them….” His companion let out a vulgar laugh. He leaned close to the other and quietly said, “It’s probably the old devil’s mistress…. Oh!” 

“Shut up!” The person dressed in black stuffed a chicken leg into his companion’s mouth. This in turn made his companion feel suffocated and his face turned red. He nervously looked around his surroundings and noticed that no one was paying attention to them. He thus softened his tone and said unhappily, “Ah, you’re really courting death. Don’t you know about Gazing Chen’s^[1] business of buying and selling dead people?” The business of buying and selling the dead was done by using money to buy a new life. The murdered people all had evil reputations so the sect didn’t care for them. Since it messed with human life, there was obviously some bloody demonic Qi involved which made people afraid to bear the consequences. 

The young man in the black uniform had a wine cup in his hand. He listened in on the two people discussing with a playful gleam in his eyes. With an elegant voice, he inaudibly repeated the words to himself. “Gazing Chen Pavilion?” He downed the entire cup of wine with a gulp. He suddenly revealed a smile on his handsome glowing face. “Isn’t Gazing Chen one of Mu Chen’s admirers?” 

Footnotes:

[1]The Chen is the name of the place as in the Chen of Mu Chen’s name. It’s a name filled with admiration and expectation toward Mu Chen.

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